The Little Shop

My sketch today is a bit of crazy chaos, a bit like The Little Shop where I painted it. If you haven’t been to this place (on Ogilvy Ave. in Park Extension) it’s worth the trip although it is a bit hard to spot the faded sign from the street. The three-storey brick house is jammed with vintage everything — clothing, furs, fabrics, bags, jewelery, books, shoes, hats, rugs, umbrellas, wedding dresses — and it’s a sketcher’s paradise on a winter day. Especially since every visitor gets offered tea and cookies as they walk in the door.

Thanks. I think it got a bit muddy and I wish I had handled the darks more cleanly instead of layering a bunch of washes. This type of environment is new for me but I will go back there another day to try a different part of the store.

Shari, you are a person who sees ideas for a sketch in the most unusual places. How wonderful for all us that you have the ability to create these jewels anywhere and every-
where. What a treat for the eyes……thank you for all the inspiration you give us on a
daily basis !

Hi John. I forgot to mention in my post that I bought the full outfit to wear in Barcelona. Do you think I will be too warm in a red fur hat and a green wool scarf in the summer in Spain? I know I will need the sunglasses for sure but they may make all my sketches look greenish. I will probably only wear them in the evening.

Absolutely delightful sketch Shari, filled with fun and whimsy in both squiggly and straight lines
and all bathed in the richest earth tones. That mannequin certainly is saucy and comes to life
with a comically long Modigliani neck, adorned with a lovely green (colour?)scarf and jewellery. You’ll fit right in in Barcelona with all the Gaudy art 🙂
So glad to see your site back posted today!

Shari, would you have a minute to tell us the colours you used in this painting and
was it painted in your little moleskin sketch book ? It’s amazing how you find all these little jewels in Montreal and in this sketcher’s paradise what is that funny little white oval/cylindrically shaped thing lower front? 🙂

Mary, I used every colour I had for this. This was not a limited palette.
There’s lots of Alizarin crimson in the hat with a bit of cadmium and some blue too.
There cerulean and some sort of yellow in the scarf. Lots of ochre in the jacket.
As for the thing that resembles a roll of toilet paper — that is the headless neck of the mannequin wearing a mink collar and ruffly shirt.

Ha! You cannot fool us, Cherie! Very nice self-portrait! However, what is that behind the model’s left shoulder? At first I thought “Musical instrument,” then I thought, “broom.” Now I do not know what to think.

Oh, come now, be serious… you really expect me to believe that this isn’t the self-portrait that you have been promising to do for the past 12 months? (And reading the comments above, I wasn’t the only one who picked it.) Of course, you have cleverly disguised yourself with the yellow-framed dark glasses and the red fur (or is that your hair?)… both of which suit you particularly when combined with the green scarf… move over Chanel. : )